Hot topics in November

Kosmos

Culture, travel, fashion and culinary delights: the Kosmos pages of Lufthansa Magazin bring you interesting and useful tidbits from around the world

Favorite foods

Culture clash

Paella, sushi and pizza are world-famous favorites. But just how much do the versions we know have in common with the originals?

Only for foreigners

Best with shellfish? Not if you’re eating paella in its native region of Valencia, Spain, where it’s usually made with chicken, duck and rabbit. For the locals, the seafood version favored by visitors is “tourist paella.”

Finger-licking authentic

Eat sushi rolls with chopsticks? Only Westerners would do such a thing. To the Japanese, their national dish is fingerfood. And in the better restaurants, they wouldn’t dream of spicing them up with wasabi paste – they leave that to the sushi master.

Less is more

Chillies, peperoni, mushrooms? They have no place on a pizza according to the guardians of tradition in its birthplace, Naples, Italy. Only tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, basil, mozzarella and garlic are permitted.

Spooky apparition

No neon-lit tunnel, this, but a 40-meter-high bridge spanning the Des Moines River. Its web of blue lights has an almost mesmerizing effect on people crossing to get to the High Trestle Trail in the U.S. state of Iowa on the other side.

Inviting design

High-society wedding gowns and ballet stage sets are just two of the fields in which Jasper Conran has tirelessly demonstrated his talents – and now he’s opened a hotel. The aptly named L’Hôtel Marrakech in the medina has been extensively refurbished and boasts five exclusive suites. If you can’t stay there, you can at least enjoy the ambience of the adjoining restaurant (photo). Prior booking is a must!

Wet mail

You may find that you’ll need flippers and a mask if you want to post a letter in Susami, Japan. The fishing village’s mailbox is ten meters underwater – earning it a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Every year, around 1500 letters and cards are dropped off here.